Process integration and economics evaluation of sugar beet pulp conversion into ethanol

Ebenezer Donkoh, John Degenstein, Yun Ji

Abstract


Ebenezer Donkoh1, John Degenstein2, Yun Ji3*
(1. Du Pont, West Virginia 26101, USA;
2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA;
3. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202, USA.)

Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate, from an economic standpoint, the feasibility of using sugar beet pulp (SBP) as the feedstock in an existing sugar processing plant to ethanol. Two base cases were studied. Case 1 incorporated dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation using S. cervisiae. Case 2 neglected the pretreatment step and used a series of enzymes in Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) with S. cervisiae yeast followed by E.coli K011 fermentation. The ethanol production cost for each case was estimated to be $1.50 and $1.10 per gallon of ethanol for case 1 and case 2, respectively. Assuming a 10% discount rate, a minimum selling price of $2.35 per gallon was obtained for case 1 and $1.53 per gallon for case 2. These prices can be competitive with the increasing gasoline prices. However, base case 2 has higher potential to be feasible with the discovery of efficient microbial species.
Keywords: sugar beet pulp, fuel conversion, lignocellulosic, biomass, ethanol, feasibility, economics, pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis
DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.20120502.007

Citation: Donkoh E, Degenstein J, Ji Y. Process integration and economics evaluation of sugar beet pulp conversion into ethanol. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2012; 5(2): 52

Keywords


sugar beet pulp, fuel conversion, lignocellulosic, biomass, ethanol, feasibility, economics, pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis

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